Salus populi supreme lee. Taking sains for the occasion in its simplest meaning of "health," and translating the words as "The public health is the first concern of the government," we do not consider that we need make any apology for drawing attention again to the gruesome paragraphs which we printed on Saturday morning. he public health put it down as one of the ordinary amenities of native life in Hongkew in the summer.
The Establishment for the Receipt of the Dying in Chapoo Road was, we are informed, reported to the police, and they reported that it was a hospital, until a resident in the vicinity took the trouble ito watch the house until he saw a customer brought in, when he fetched a policeman and made him an eye: witness of the business. It may be said that the existence of this establishment, nuisance as it is, is not a matter that! animals? Very few people would go on, even if it cost less, getting milk from a dairy as to which the inspector reported that sufficient precautions were not taken.
Suggestions of this kind are no doubt made and considered fully at the meetings of the Council, but it is one of the drawbacks of the system of communicating the transactions, that these conversations, important as they may be, do not reach the public in any form. There are strong objections, we know, to the presence of reporters at the has not been satisfactory this month, and we are convinced that much of the recent sickness has arisen from preventible causes.
Where were three matters specifically referred to on Saturday. The Municipal Council can, of course, do nothing directly to rewove the nuisance at the Ningpo Joss-house. We have, indeed, been assured that this nuisance has concerns the general public, but only ' Council meetings, but this is too large the residents in the immediate vicinity. a question to discuss incidentally this 'Tt isa nuisance to the general public,! morning, It would though not be diftihowever, that dying men should be car- cult for the secretary to include in his ried carelessly through the streets as' minutes, for the re-assurance of the they are; and the Portuguese commun- public, some notes of such informal ity, who are chiefly offended by the; cussions, when they occur. lhe sum-maintenance of this particular industry, mer of 1890 is, happily, nearly at its are a very numerous and important close; but our remarks will not have section of the general public. been in vain if they lead to more ex-been eager rated; that none but the {Que main point, however, about these best coffin: admitted to s age, und two last nuisances is, that they tend to that in each coflin, before it "closed confirm the opinion which we hear too absorb any liquefaction that may take up, sufficient quicklime is always put to often and, we allow, not always justly, that the police have become somewhat place. This is, no doubt, what should slack of late. The routine work of the he, but work is scamped at times in force is carried on very well, and the China as everywhere else; and our in-weekly return to the Council of the! formant himself allowed that there was number of wrong-doers who " have come a very fetid odour about the place. We under the notice of the police" is, no hear that suggestions have been made doubt, very comforting. Some extra that the French Council should buy the activity and energy are obviously ree and provide the Nivgpo Guild quired if Shanghai is to continue to be ith a site at least as far from the entitled to call itself the model settle-settlement as the Cantonesecampo santo, ment. The settlements have grown and we hope they will succeed before and grow so fast that the sanitary de-next summer. Meanwhile, the members partment is unequal, in the summer at of the ipo Guild are constantly least, to the demands upon it. Shanghai mixing with the foreign community is now a town with a population which is and we should all make it a point to rapidly nearing, if it has not already impress on the Ningpo men with whom reached, two hundred thousand, and we we come in contact, that their present imagine that there would be quite: system of shipping off the stored coffins enough work now for a health officer only twice a year is a dangerous nuisance who should confine himself exclusively to natives and foreigners alike. Public to the care of the public health. We opinion may perhaps effect what. the do not for a moment depreciate the French Consul-General and Council have services of the present municipal Officer apparently been unable to do.
Health; but it is impossible that a Doubthasbcen thrown on the accuracy gentleman with a large private practi of our description of the Depot of Corpses near these ward Road, and the sanitary (Which is more than usually onerous at the time when he is most wanted for staff of the Council itself can hardly his public duties, can efficiently look believe in its existence. "If such a place after the sani ness of a town so large exists, it must have been reported by jas Shanghai has become. The sub-the police. It has not been reported, sidiary sanitary officials are also over-therefore it does not exist." We have worked, and there are not enough incontrovertible evidence, however, that foreign police for the inspector of nuis-it does exist, and that there was no ances, indefatigable as he is himself, to exaggeration whatever in our description able to call' upon the force for suftiof its horrors. We can perfectly undercient assistance in emergencies like t! stand its not being reported by the Still, more might be done than is done. police. There would be nothing out-of-'Some of the recent deaths the-way in it to the average Chinese traced, it is believed, to the use of dirty policeman; his sense of smell is not water in washing bottles at one of the cultivated to the necessary pitch, nor native dairies. The assistant inspector would his feelings be shocked by the of nuisances reports regularly that the sight; in fact, if it were not actually on; animals kept at these dairies "have his "beat," his sense of smell would; been inspected three times during the never induce him to go out of his ap- past week"; why should he not be/ tended precautions being taken in future summers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.